Auckland Libraries Research

Are you curious about where your family came from, the stories behind your ancestors, or the history hidden in your family tree? 🔍

We’re excited to be sponsoring and exhibiting at the Auckland Family History Expo from 9-11 October at King’s College, Ōtāhuhu, as part of the Auckland Heritage Festival.

Whether you’re just starting your family history journey or you’re a seasoned researcher, come along and explore the wealth of heritage resources available through Auckland Libraries.

You’ll also have the chance to hear from our experts Andrew Henry (Heritage), Mihi Henare, and Seonaid Harvey (Research Services) as part of the Expo speaker programme.

Come and chat with the team, discover new research tools, and uncover the stories that connect you to the past.

📍 King’s College, Ōtāhuhu
📅 9-11 October
🔗 More information: https://bit.ly/4ds32sD

📸: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1054-0547

📑🗃️ Manuscript Mondays No. 20

Few Auckland mayors left a greater impression on Tāmaki Makaurau than John Andrew Charles Allum. Allum is best known for leading the movement that eventually built the long-debated Auckland Harbour Bridge. He became the first chairman of the Bridge Authority in 1950 and held onto the post until 1971, just a year before his death. He also became notorious for promoting a deeply unpopular sewage dumping scheme that would have seen untreated refuse pouring into the Waitematā Harbour. Support for this and other unpopular policies he championed eventually led to his mayoral election defeat in November 1953.

London-born, Allum moved to New Zealand at the age of 20 and was elected to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in 1919. The next year, he became a member of the Auckland City Council and served on the council until 1929. He returned to the council in 1938, where he served as deputy mayor as the Second World War broke out. He finally achieved the highest post in May 1941, serving until shortly after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

During his term in office, Allum elevated the mayoralty to a near-kingly status within New Zealand. The material that he donated to Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections reflects this attitude. Among the records are letters exchanged with Governors-General Cyril Newall, Bernard Freyberg, and Willoughby Norrie, a letter from Edmund Hillary, and a letter from Air Marshal Keith Park. Allum’s presence in Auckland politics is also felt across many other Heritage Collections, demonstrating his wide influence in local politics.

The J. A. C. Allum collection has been digitised and can be found on Kura Heritage Collections Online here: https://bit.ly/47xfV0S.

If you are interested in knowing more about the J. A. C. Allum Collection or other archival collections held by Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, contact us to make an enquiry: https://bit.ly/4q2Si7y.

Image Reference: Address to Bernard Freyberg by the Mayor, Councillors and Citizens of the City of Auckland, 10 June 1952. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZMS-0004-40.

Come join us for Auckland Heritage Festival as we celebrate kai and heritage. We have an amazing line-up of FREE talks, book launches, experiences and exhibitions.

Heritage Talks

Takeaway Lives: Food Memory & Migration
Saturday 3 October, 2-3PM (Booking Required)
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2026/takeaway-lives-food-memory-migration/auckland

Returning Home: Writing the Filipino Experience
Thursday 8 October, 6:30-7:30PM (Booking Required)
https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/returning-home-writing-the-filipino-experience-tickets-1999337145222

Heritage Book Launch

Ponsonby People's Union: Book Launch - Celebration of activism with music, kōrero and kai.
Sunday 11 October, 1PM-4PM
https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/ponsonby-peoples-union-book-launch-tickets-2000730493765

Heritage Experiences

Piringatahi: Heritage Up Close
View an array cookbooks from 1714 to present.
Thursday 8 October, 2-3pm (Booking Required)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/piringatahi-a-heritage-feast-tickets-1992458508033

Ngā Reka o te Kāinga : A Taste of Home
Recipe sharing and scrapbooking, to make our own community cookbook
Thursday 8 October, 3:30-5:30pm (No booking required)
https://www.facebook.com/share/19LR7dWUgT/

Heritage Exhibitions

Te Kai Hapori ō Tāmaki: The Community Food of Tāmaki
Opens October 6 @ 10am
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CV1sJWvKs/

King Pin: Dave Cameron's Boxing & Wrestling Collection
Opens October 7 @ 10am
https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/events/2026/10/king-pin-dave-cameron-s-boxing-and-wrestling-collection/?source=/heritage-festival/heritage-festival-events/

Physical pamphlets for Central City Hub are available at library desks

Inspired by the popular Fat Bear Week competition, Auckland Council Archives launched its own heavyweight contest: Fat Book Week. 🐻

And the winner is... ACC 200, item 2! 🏆

Weighing in at an impressive 19.95kg, this volume of 1935-1944 newspaper clippings very nearly exceeded the capacity of the scales provided. Made up almost entirely of paper and glue, it's proof that you don't need metal fittings or wooden boards to pack a serious punch.

In fact, the winning book wasn't the tallest, widest, or thickest contender. Some of the other entries even featured metal spines or solid wooden boards. It just goes to show: you can't judge a book by its cover.

Final standings:

🥇 ACC 200, item 2 - 19.95kg
🥈 ACC 200, item 31 - 15.55kg
🥉 ACC 101, item 34 - 13.6kg
📚 ACC 165, item 5 - 9.95kg
📚 ACC 182, item 5 - 9.85kg
📚 MRB 127, item 7 - 7.2kg

A very hearty thank you to everyone who voted and followed along with Fat Book Week. ❤️

📑🗃️ Manuscript Mondays No. 19

The New Zealand Federation of Country Women’s Institutes was once the largest women’s organisation in Aotearoa. However, its origins do not start in New Zealand, but in Canada. In 1897, the first Women’s Institute formed in Canada as an education programme for women working on farms and in rural areas. It reached Britain just as the First World War was getting started and quickly transitioned into a service to support food production on the home front.

After first encountering the organisation while serving in Britain, Bessie Jerome Spencer brought it back to New Zealand and established the first domestic Women’s Institute near Napier in January 1921. The organisation quickly spread across the rural communities of Hawke’s Bay, and the combination of the Great Depression and the Second World War saw its rapid growth across the country. Each branch acted autonomously but shared the same goals of improving life in rural areas through cooperation, education, and mutual support.

The Auckland Federation was the second national federation to form in 1927, and over the decades, many of its members’ records have found their way into Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. These collections cover a wide range of subjects, from everyday business material such as meeting minutes, financial records, and correspondence, to creative output like arts and crafts projects, publications, photos, and scrapbooks. Each of the nearly 20 collections reflects the branch’s unique contribution to life in rural Auckland.

Although none of the collections have been digitised in full, most have listings available on Kura Heritage Collections Online. These can be browsed here: https://bit.ly/4ypWVNW

Also included among the Country Women’s Institute collections are two spin-off organisations: the Titirangi Drama Group and the Albany Hall Committee.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Country Women’s Institute collections or other archival collections held by Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, contact us to make an enquiry: https://bit.ly/4q2Si7y

📸: Group portrait of members of the Waiuku Country Women’s Institute, 1951. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections Footprints 04574.

Rare books. Literary legends. A New Zealand connection. 📖

A rare 1938 copy of The River by American publisher and poet James Laughlin, held in Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, highlights the connection between Laughlin and Frank Sargeson. The publication also has notable literary associations, with presentation copies inscribed by Laughlin to Gertrude Stein and William Carlos Williams held at Yale University.

Discover the story behind this remarkable item and its place within twentieth-century literary circles.

And if you're inspired to learn more about one of New Zealand's most celebrated writers, you'll also find a link in the blog to book a tour of Frank Sargeson's historic home. 👀✨

🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4hpkT4A

Love food, nostalgia and a good story? You won’t want to miss this. 🍽️✨📖

Get up close with rare cookbooks, handwritten recipes, vintage menus and posters from Auckland Council Libraries’ heritage collections.

See cookbooks from 1714 to today, including Edmonds and Mrs Beeton’s, discover how wartime rationing changed what we ate, peek into past kitchens and explore the food, health and community stories hidden in these fascinating collections.

You might even spot something that takes you straight back to your own childhood.

📍 Bookings required. 20 places available.

🔗 Learn more and book your free ticket here: https://bit.ly/4h9lVCR

📸 Royal Swan Restaurant, 1968, Rykenberg Photography, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1269-19681222-03 https://bit.ly/4dRqbVc